A 37-year-old man pleaded guilty Monday morning to robbery in connection with the hijacking of a van with four tourists at Kahe Point Beach Park on Jan. 18, 2005.

Ricky K. Kenui pleaded guilty to second-degree robbery and driving the van without permission as part of a plea agreement. Kenui also pleaded guilty to an unrelated crime of breaking into a truck in Wahiawa four days later.

Kenui agreed to serve a maximum 10-year term for those crimes when he is sentenced in May.

In addition, Kenui agreed to write a letter to the editor to The Advertiser and the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, apologizing for his actions and explaining "the way drug use contributed to his criminal activities, and the effect drugs have had on his life and the life of his family," according to the court file.

In exchange, city prosecutors agreed to drop a first-degree robbery charge, which carries a maximum 20-year term.

Police were looking for a second man involved in the robbery, and Kenui provided police with a name, but police were not able to obtain any evidence to corroborate that the other man was involved, according to prosecutors.